Caribbean Tourism, September 2026: Curaçao Stayovers Up 18%, Dominican Republic Visitors Up 16% Ahead of High Season
September is the slowest month of the Caribbean year, and in 2026 it grew by double digits. Curaçao welcomed 63,565 stayover visitors, up 18% and its best September on record, with American arrivals up 20%. The Dominican Republic received 684,831 visitors in the month, up 16.4%, and is on track for more than 12.4 million in 2026.
Caribbean tourism in September 2026 matters to Sint Maarten for a simple reason. Curaçao is our sister country in the Kingdom, shares our central bank and the Caribbean guilder, and competes for the same North American and Dutch travellers.
The numbers
Curaçao, September 2026 (Curaçao Tourist Board, October 16)
Stayover visitors: 63,565, up 18% from 53,672 in September 2025
Visitor nights: 510,824, up 14%; average stay 8.0 nights (8.3 a year earlier)
Netherlands: 18,740 arrivals, up 6%
United States: 15,876 arrivals, up 20%; average stay 5.8 nights
Colombia: 4,737 arrivals, up 25%
Cruise passengers: 57,621 on 17 calls, against 32,372 on 9 calls in September 2025
January to September: 642,379 stayovers, up 11%; 648,450 cruise passengers, up 10%
Two details stand out. American visitors spend the most, $407 per person per day according to the tourist board's 2025 exit survey, against $206 for Dutch visitors. And 45% of September stayovers chose alternative accommodation, meaning villas, apartments and vacation rentals, over resort hotels.
Dominican Republic, September 2026 (Tourism Minister David Collado, reported by DR1, October 13)
Visitors: 684,831, up 16.4%
Air arrivals: 533,735, up 8.8%; cruise passengers 151,096, up 54.7%
January to September: 9,241,246 visitors, up 7.5%
United States 39% and Canada 11% of September air arrivals
Full-year outlook: more than 12.4 million visitors
More rooms coming. Hyatt says three Grand Hyatt resorts, in Grand Cayman, Cancún and Los Cabos, are scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to Caribbean Journal on October 26.
Where Sint Maarten stands
Sint Maarten has not yet published third-quarter figures. The latest official data, from the Department of Statistics (STAT), showed 566,722 air arrivals in the first half of 2026, up 21.4%, and 993,649 cruise passengers, up 13.9%. Port St. Maarten counted 1,051,030 cruise passengers from January to July and projected 213,553 for November and 331,765 for December, putting the year on course for close to 1.8 million.
Why it matters
The off-season is getting shorter. When Curaçao and the Dominican Republic grow 16% to 18% in September, the shoulder months are filling. For an owner in Simpson Bay, Maho or Cupecoy, that means more bookable weeks outside the December-to-April window, which is where annual rental income is won or lost.
American demand is still strong. US travellers led growth in both destinations despite mortgage rates above 7% at home and a Fed that has been raising rates. Americans are also the biggest spenders in Curaçao. The same buyer and guest profile drives demand for condos and villas here.
Rentals compete with hotels, and win share. Nearly half of Curaçao's September guests stayed outside resort hotels. That is the market a well-managed condo or villa serves. It is also why competition between rental units is rising across the region, and why presentation, reviews and pricing discipline matter more each season.
Our read
These are other islands' numbers, so we read them as a signal, not a forecast. The signal is consistent: Caribbean travel kept growing through the slow season, led by American visitors, and Sint Maarten's own first half was stronger than most of the region's. Port St. Maarten's projection of more than 330,000 cruise passengers in December alone points to a busy high season in Philipsburg.
What we would watch is supply. New resorts open across the region this winter, and every new branded hotel competes for the same high-spending guest. Owners who rent should price for the season now, with clear minimum stays and a fair cleaning fee, rather than wait for January.
If you own a rental here and want a second opinion on rates and occupancy before the season starts, our property management team can help.
Sources: Curaçao Tourist Board, October 16, 2026; DR1 and Dominican Ministry of Tourism, October 13, 2026; Caribbean Journal, October 23 and 26, 2026; Sint Maarten Department of Statistics (STAT), H1 2026; Port St. Maarten via The People's Tribune, August 3, 2026.
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